Participation data must be included and show that all students in the required grades/grade ranges are included in the assessments.

Evidence

Documentation must be provided that shows the participation rate is calculated as a proportion of the students enrolled and the students assessed in total and in each subgroup.

Critical Element

Provide guidelines the State has for including all students with disabilities in the regular assessment system.

Evidence

Documentation must be provided to show how the State is making efforts to include students with significant cognitive disabilities in the regular assessment and that if alternate achievement
standards are adopted for these students, guidelines and training are provided for the identification and assessment of these students.

Critical Element

If alternate achievement standards have been adopted/approved for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, provide the following:

guidelines for IEP teams to use in identifying which students
should be assessed with alternate achievement standards;

how the State ensures that parents are informed that their
student will be assessed on alternate achievement standards;

documentation that, to the extent possible, students with the
most significant cognitive abilities are included in the regular
assessments;

documentation on how the State has developed, disseminated
information on, and promoted use of appropriate accommodations to
increase the numbers of these students participating in the regular
assessment system; and

procedures to ensure that personnel are trained in
administration of all assessments including making use of
accommodations.

Evidence

Documentation on alternate achievement standards must include all five criteria.

Critical Element

Provide the following:

Whether they have provided assessments, to the extent practicable, in the language and form most likely to yield accurate and reliable information on what these students know and can do.

Whether the State requires participation of all LEP students regardless of how long they have been enrolled in U. S. schools.

Whether the State has adopted policies that LEP students be assessed on reading/English language arts standards in English if they have been enrolled in US schools for three consecutive years or more.

Evidence

For the 2003-04 assessments, students in their first year of enrollment in U. S. schools may be exempt from the State's reading/language arts assessment.

Provide policies, regulations, guidelines related to inclusion of LEP students including information such as allowed accommodations.

Critical Element

Ensure the identification and inclusion of migrant and other mobile students in the assessment system in the required tested grades.

Evidence

Evidence should include policies, guidelines, and practices used by the State to include mobile students.

*Note:

Provide participation data for students with disabilities and LEP
students (in addition to participation rates for all students).

Indicate how the needs of students with disabilities and LEP
students were considered as part of the test development process.

Indicate how the assessments are linguistically-accessible for LEP
students.

Describe how the range of assessment options for students with
disabilities and LEP students yields scores that are valid and
reliable for these groups.

Describe how the state monitors the application and use of its
inclusion policies.